GREENVILLE, S.C. (June 18, 2012) – Quarterfinals matches brought plenty of emotion and drama to the Region III (South) Championships presented by National Guard. Under-14 through Under-16 age groups played quarterfinal matchups Monday and winners will enjoy a day off tomorrow as they prepare for semifinals on Wednesday. Two games were decided in overtime, with 3 going to PKs to decide a winner.

Quarterfinal matches continue Tuesday, with U-17 and U-18 teams taking the field. Additionally, U-13 and U-19 age groups will play semifinal matches on Tuesday.

With a spot in the semifinals on the line, it was a good day to have won your preliminary pool. All four U-16 girls winning teams Monday had advanced at the top of their respective group. First up, OFC 96 (OK) tallied a 1-0 victory over West Florida Premier 95 Elite (FL). Baillie Miller netted the decisive goal in the 68th minute.

Two Texas teams met up when Texans Red North (TX-N) and US Youth Soccer National League team AHFC 96 (TX-S) played on Monday. AHFC standout and youth national team player Michaela Abam played the hero as she struck in the 72nd minute to lift her team to a 1-0 win.

FC Alliance 96 Black (TN and 95 NCSF Elite (NC) battled back and forth Monday with a berth in the semis up for grabs. NCSF struck first thanks to an Anne Prendergast strike in the 30th. Jaoanda Parchman would level for FC Alliance just before half. Jessie Pardue put NCSF back up with the game winner in the 68th minute.

Hometown team CESA 95 Premier (SC) battled TNFC 96 Impact (TN) to a scoreless first half. Savannah McCaskill broke the stalemate in the 61st minute and Kathryn Jones added an insurance goal just 10 minutes later for the 2-0 victory.

SAA Real Madrid (FL) took a 1-0 lead over Brentwood 97 (TN) off a Sebastian Herran strike in the 36th minute. Brentwood would level just before halftime, but the equalizer was trumped just on the other side of the halftime whistle as SAA combined for a goal in the 46th minute. Allessandro Campoy added a third in the 66th to claim a 3-1 win.

GSA Phoenix 97 (GA) earned a spot in the semifinals with a 2-0 win over 96 CASL (NC). Goals by Kofi Twumasi and Josef Samuel in the 13th and 64th minutes respectively lifted the Georgia state cup champs.

Emotions ran high as Lightning Strikers (AR) and OFC 97 (OK) took the field in a quarterfinal match. Jacob Tunney scored the lone goal in the game as he found net in the 66th minute in a game that saw numerous cautions and one ejection.

South Texas state champs Lonestars 97 SAN (TX-S) scored an early goal against unbeaten West Pines United (FL) as Tristan Cavazos beat the high defensive line and slotted home the ball. A cohesive team effort and determined defending kept West Pines off the score sheet and secured the 1-0 victory.

Complete Monday Scores:

GIRLS

Group

Rep

Away

Score

Rep

Home

Score

Under-14

AR

Arkansas Comets 98

0

TX-N

Liverpool 98 Elite

7

Under-14

OK

Oklahoma Football Club

1

OK

Blitz United 98 Attack

2

Under-14

TX-S

AHFC 98G

0

TN

TNFC 98 Azzurri

3

Under-14

SC

CESA 97 Premier

2

FL

Ponte Vedra SC 97/98 Storm Gold

3

Under-15

LA

97 Louisiana Fire Blue

1

TN

Brentwood 97 Premier

0

Under-15

TN

MSC Strikers Premier 97

1

TN

97 FC Alliance Black

4

Under-15

TX-N

Sting 97

1

FL

Palm Beach Soccer Academy - Magic Jacks

0

Under-15

TX-S

Challenge 97

0

TX-S

AHFC 97

1

Under-16

TN

FC Alliance 96 Black

1

NC

95 NCSF Elite

2

Under-16

TN

TNFC 96 Impact

0

SC

CESA 95 Premier

2

Under-16

TX-N

Texans Red North

0

TX-S

AHFC 96

1

Under-16

FL

West Florida Premier 95 Elite

0

OK

OFC 96

1

Under-19

OK

WSA 93

0

TX-S

Lonestar 93 Red

1

Under-19

NC

92 CASL Chelsea Ladies

1

FL

IMG

1

Under-19

SC

CESA 92 Girls Premier

0

AL

BUSA 93

1

BOYS

Group

Rep

Away

Score

Rep

Home

Score

Under-14

TX-S

Texas Rush 97/98 Premier

1

GA

Atlanta Fire United 98 Elite

0

Under-14

FL

Pinecrest Premier

2

SC

SCU/MP 97 Elite

3

Under-14

GA

GSA 98 Phoenix Red

0

TX-N

FC Dallas 98B Premier

2

Under-14

OK

TSC Hurricane 98

0

FL

Sunrise Elite 97\98

2

Under-15

TX-S

Lonestars 97 Red SAN

1

FL

West Pines Utd Black

0

Under-15

GA

GSA Phoenix 97 Red

2

NC

96 Casl Elite

0

Under-15

AR

NWA Lightning Strikers 97

0

OK

OFC 97

1

Under-15

TN

Brentwood 97 Premier

1

FL

SAA Real Madrid Miami

3

Under-16

TX-S

Lonestars 96 Red NTH

0

SC

CESA 95 Premier

1

Under-16

GA

Concorde Fire Elite

3

FL

West Pines United Black

2

Under-16

OK

OK Texans

2

NC

95 NCA Alliance

0

Under-16

GA

GSA 96 Phoenix Red

2

FL

JUFC 95-96

1

Under-19

LA

Chicago Fire Jrs. LA

1

OK

West Side Alliance SC 93

0

The top 200 US Youth Soccer boys and girls teams from the 12 State Associations that make up US Youth Soccer Region III will compete for the 2012 regional title. Quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be played June 18-21 at MeSA Soccer Complex.

The US Youth Soccer National Championships will consist of US Youth Soccer Regional Champions in the Under-14 through Under-19 Boys and Girls age groups as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the Under-15 through Under-17 Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 60 teams.

About the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series – The US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer's 55 State Associations the opportunity to showcase their abilities against the best in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play. The yearlong competition begins with over 185,000 players in the US Youth Soccer State Championships. These champions and selected wildcard teams, through US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues, advance to compete in one of four the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. Champions (U-14 through U-19) from each regional event advance to the US Youth Soccer National Championships. The Under-15 through 17 Boys and Girls age groups have two teams representative of the US Youth Soccer National League, in which the top two teams in each gender age group earn a direct path to the national championships. Overall the National Championship Series provides top collegiate coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country. For more information, visit http://championships.usyouthsoccer.org.

About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer - "The Game for ALL Kids!?" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.